Barcelona Experiences

Experiencing Barcelona

off the beaten tourist track.

When you come to a new place, it’s not always easy to find the nice spots that make your experience extra special. Whether you are travelling or moving to Barcelona, I can help you with that.

  • Discover Barcelona’s local gems and authentic spirit, which you would never find on your own.
  • Explore Barcelona accompanied by a local expat with a “sixth sense” of Bon Vivant
  • Have a list of quality experiences on your map and avoid losing time and money on the “wrong” choices.
  • Skip the travel preparation, lean back and enjoy your trip.
  • Get to know the cool corners of Barcelona’s nicer residential neighborhoods before you decide where to buy or rent your new home.

Book Majasgusto Experiences

Barcelona Private Local Walk
Barcelona Bon Vivant Guide
Barcelona Travel Plan & Hostess

Who is Maja’s Gusto?

Whilst travelling it’s such a great feeling when you find these local places away from the tourist crowds. You know, the ones that stand out from the rest, where people have created a special "vibe” with good quality, beauty and style. But when you visit or move to a city, it’s hard to find these hidden gems alone without knowing anyone.

If you are ready to discover Barcelona apart from Paella, Sangría and Sagrada familia, I am delighted to be your personal friend and show you a unique version of the city by sharing my favourite places and corners which makes my life here special – and will make your experience the same

I am Maja, originally Danish with a background in design. I am a life lover, passionate about finding unique places to eat, shop, visit and stay. Barcelona has been my home for five years. From day one I have explored the city to find places with this extraordinary “Look and Feel Good” vibe. Today, my bucket list is so long that some of my friends from Barcelona ask me for recommendations in their own city.

Let me be your local “friend” who shows you the local hidden treasures and my personal favourite spots, which will make your Barcelona experience something special

Book Your Next
Barcelona Experience

Barcelona Private Local Walk

You come with me on a walk through Barcelona’s uptown neighborhoods, where you will experience a “non-touristic” local charm and authentic vibe, which most people never see. This walk will give you a different picture of Barcelona away from the crowds and you will collect lots of new places for your personal bucketlist which you can visit anytime on your own. You will get a local “insider” experience of the neighborhoods and their hidden gems, which you would never find on your own and while we walk and talk you also get other valuable insights about Barcelona as we talk and walk.

You don’t want to miss this walk if you are a travel afficionado, a newcomer in town who just landed or if you are relocating to Barcelona and are doubting where to settle down. If you already live in Barcelona and have not yet discovered up-town Barcelona the tour is a perfect excursion which will expand your perspective of your city and you will come back to visit the new spots on your bucket list.

I know these neighborhoods from living here and visiting the places myself and will introduce you to all my favourite spots like restaurants, tapas bars, bakeries, pastryshops, coffee and ice cream bars, stylish boutiques, beautiful parks and pictoresque squares. I will share my personal picks on the menu card, specific products and other tips.

You will sense the Bon Vivant vibe, because people who lives here likes to enjoy the good things in life. You will notice the freshness of the mountain air, green urban spaces that makes you forget you are in the middle of a big city and the peacefulness of people living here – which is very different from the downtown touristic atmosphere. There is a wealth of small boutiques who live of the people who live here and come back for the good quality and service, which is delivered consistently every day. You feel that the shops and restaurants are run by passionate people who love and put an honour in what they do. I could go on and on. This is the reason why I live here and I am still in love with my neighborhood which is where I feel at home in Barcelona.

Let’s talk so you can experience my favourite neighborhoods in Barcelona:

PRICE: Tips included. Consumption and transportation excluded.

Barcelona Bon Vivant Guide

You get a personal guide with handpicked local insider “Bon-vivant” spots in Barcelona so you have a bucket list of hidden gems, local classics and unique pearls which you can visit when you feel like it. Your guide is a visual appetizer of your next Barcelona trip. It comes as a digital stylish booklet packed with beautiful photos and links. You simply add the spots into your itinerary from home and save all the time on searching on the internet, scrolling through photos and reviews, which you don’t know if match your expectations in reality. The experiences in your guide have been curated by a person with a passion for good quality and style who lives here and has visited the places many times. So you can just relax and look forward to some unforgettable moments in Barcelona. 

You will love the Bon-Vivant guide if you are a travel aficionado who wants the best but want to skip the time consuming preparation of your trip – without wasting your precious time on disappointing experiences. Perhaps you have been in Barcelona before and are done with the touristic route – or you want some tips you can mix in between the mainstream attractions so you get a broadened perspective of Barcelona. The guide is an inspirational visual booklet, which is ideal as a gift for someone you want to surprise with a special weekend trip, a family vacation, a hen party or a company tour to Barcelona – beyond your own imagination.

You choose which kind of spots you want in your guide, so you have an insider bucket list of fabulous boutique style hotels to stay, good coffee bars, local breakfast, vegan brunch, lunch at a cute picturesque squares, good tapas in a lively authentic vibe where the locals come, the best paella at the sea front, hidden neighborhoods, interesting streets, classy restaurants, authentic bars, Italian ice-cream, off piste main street shopping, food markets, beautiful parks, mountain hiking with amazing city views, weekend escapes on the coast close to Barcelona. Up to you!

Your guide can be organised so the spots fit into a daily itinerary or randomly structured, so you can mix them freely into your trip.
We will have a call where you tell me about your personal preferences and expectations of your trip so I can customise the guide to you. You can also choose to leave it all to me so you get a surprise selection you can pick and choose from.

Please note, you need to book a call minimum 3 weeks before you wish to receive your guide. A printable guide can be made on request.

Let’s talk to get your personal guide designed:

Barcelona Travel Plan & Hostess

You relax and leave it to me to get your trip fully or partially packed and organised with unique experiences in a delightful flow, which can include all reservations and logistics are taken care of. The travel plan can be from one full day, several days or separate experiences incorporated and adapted to your own itinerary. If you want a really optimized insider experience, I can be your local hostess in Barcelona, who accompanies you on your trip or on chosen parts of it, so you always have a Spanish speaking personal local insider by your side to make sure every step of your trip flows effortlessly without wasting time – or you can make sure to get a soft and turbo fast landing and start living your new life in Barcelona as a local in no time. Visting or moving – I will be your local “friend” from day one.

When on your own, you can ask me anything as your personal assistant remotely during your trip, so you can get support, tips and recommendations from anywhere by chat and call. For example if you are in a neighborhood you don’t know and want to know where you can go for lunch, have good coffee, icecream or nearby spots to visit. You ask and I am here to make sure you get the best out of every moment of your trip.

The travel plan is perfect both for individuals, families and groups who wants to make their life or stay in Barcelona easy and enjoyable without spending time on planning, solving problems. If you are visiting for the first time and want part of your trip to be something special – or if you have been here before and want to take your next Barcelona experience to a new level. If you have recently moved to Barcelona and wants to land well in turbo speed you might want me to help you as your personal hostess, so you benefit from my six years of experience here to make your daily life easier, get local issues solved and become quickly integrated in the city and the culture and just enjoy all Barcelona has to offer from day one.

Let’s talk and make every moment of your stay or life in Barcelona effortless and enjoyable:

 

Carol,
France (AU)

Actor

Maja’s Barcelona – a world apart from the Barcelona I saw when I went before! This trip organized by Maja was such a rich experience. Districts that one would not find alone. A bit like a New York East Village feeling. The whole experience had this vibe of casual chicness – which attracted me on majasgusto on Instagram.

Read more

Maja’s selections are exactly to my taste and preference. I loved the hidden gems and the small relaxed places, some with a touch of laid back glamour. Evidently curated by a resident with a sharp eye of a designer, which I appreciate having an art background myself. Maja’s relaxed but organized style, her familiarity with the places and people, gave me so many quality experiences on such a short trip, which I would never have made on my own. Here are a few highlights:

I kickstarted my tour with a half day escape to a total gem hidden in a bay on the coast 20 min from Barcelona. Here we had an aperitivo right in front of the sea at a little Art Deco beach club, a swim and chilled in the sun loungers before seafood Paella at the restaurant on the cliff side with breathtaking sea views. In Maja’s local neighborhoods, we had a glass of Prosecco for breakfast in a cute Italian boutique and chatted with the Italian owners. We strolled through a lush park with a lake and posh shops around it. In the evening we had wine and cheese in a small bohemian tapas bar, which I loved so much for its subterranean village atmosphere. Downtown we had an incredible vegetarian lunch at a gorgeous rooftop terrace, soo NYC style ambience. An absolute dream! Friday night we had dinner and cocktails in a beautiful classic Barcelona restaurant and ended up dancing in the stylish bathroom with a DJ.

Michel & Claudia, Belgium / Peru

Engineer Architect / Linguist

The Meeting with Maja shortly after we arrived in Barcelona to start a new life, was one of the most enriching experiences. Thanks to Maja’s different recommendations we were able to find the place where we currently live and discovering the city became an adventure.

Read more

We knew very little of what life was like in Barcelona. Maja showed us neighborhoods that could interest us in terms of settling down which matched our personal preferences and she told us about the differences that you wouldn’t know as a newcomer. She showed us different restaurants, bars and shops and taught us some basics of the lifestyle and habits in Barcelona. She shared her passions and hobbies with us, which made our experience richer. Maja has an excellent energy and we are very happy to have met her. We are still in touch today!

Yolanda,
Barcelona

CEO Valkiria Institute For Futures

I thank Maja for helping me discover the charms of my city. I have lived in Barcelona for 30 years, but with a busy life, I can’t keep up with the wealth of incredible places to eat that this city has to offer, so for this Maja is my personal reference. She has an endless list of charming places, healthy and exquisite food. I love Maja’s “sixth sense” of Bon Vivant and great sensitivity for design.

Read more

One evening after leaving the theater we wanted to eat something nice and healthy nearby. Maja immediately recommended a vegetarian restaurant closeby with an amazing terrace with a view to a beautiful Gothic church. The food was amazing and the place had a NYC vibe. It added an unforgettable touch to our theater night, which otherwise would have been nothing memorable.

Emilie,
Denmark

Student

I met Maja shortly after I moved to Barcelona. It’s fair to say I was new in the city as I had never previously visited either Spain or Barcelona. Maja recommended some good restaurants in the area where I was staying. I’m a huge foodie so knowing some places with good food and drinks really made me feel at home quickly in this new city. 

Read more

After settling down, I went with Maja to a beautiful neighborhood in a part of town I hadn’t explored yet. This place made me completely forget I was in a big city. Maja showed me its small hidden gems where the locals hang out, cosy cafes, bars and restaurants. We had a really nice dinner at a fish restaurant in a small square with a real village atmosphere. An amazing excursion that opened my eyes for new places and made me appreciate the beauty that can be found everywhere in Barcelona.

Book a personal call with me now and make your next trip to Barcelona stand out from the rest